After an amazing first day, I was excited to get back to Blackpool for Day Two of Rebellion Festival. I head straight to the Empress Ballroom stage today, as Brighton riot grrrl punks PUSSYLIQUOR are the first band on there today.
Their set is raw and fast-paced, perfectly setting the tone for the rest of the day. ‘Apathy’, from their recent EP It’s PUSSYLIQUOR, Not Rocket Science!, is an early standout of their set, with it’s “don’t care, don’t care!” chorus, while earlier tracks like ‘Kitty Kitty’ and ‘Pretty Good For a Girl’ also get a warm reaction.
Over to the Almost Acoustic stage next, to see Jenny Woo. Another Rebellion regular, her confident and happy demeanour is infectious. Despite the sun shining through the roof and making the room incredibly hot, Jenny still manages to get people dancing, and even singing along.
Over to the Arena stage now, to see Smoking Gives You Big Tits. I’ve been a big fan of this band since I saw them earlier this year at Manchester Punk Festival, so I’d been looking forward to seeing them again today. It was great to see SGYBT getting the attention they deserve, as they filled the Arena to capacity. Helen Bradley has become one of my favourite frontwomen, not only are her vocals unique in the best possible way, but her in-between song chat is hilarious. Their music is a perfect mix of fun (He’s Not Toadfish From Neighbours) and political (My Favourite Fact About Maggie), and I can’t wait to see them again!
I rushed back over to the Empress Ballroom to see Rebellion regulars, Maid of Ace. Having just finished opening for Green Day on their recent stadium tour, Maid of Ace are more than ready to wake everyone up as it hits mid-afternoon in the Empress Ballroom. They’ve been playing at Rebellion since the start of their career, and it’s been great seeing how they just keep getting better with each album. Alison’s distinctive, raw vocals are as strong as ever, backed up perfectly by Anna’s backing screams, especially on crowd favourites Hollywood Rain and Bone Deth.
Liverpool band Sourflake take to the Introducing Stage this evening, a band I hadn’t got round to checking out before today. They play melodic, danceable punk with gritty, political lyrics delivered by Simone Armstrong’s cunty sing-song vocals. Needless to say, I am now very much a fan of this band! Their recent single Tornado went down well, and by the end of their set, the Pavilion area seemed to be packed. I can’t wait to hear more from Sourflake.
Jawless followed Sourflake, and are another band I wasn’t familiar with before tonight. I’d heard good things about them though, and they definitely had some fans in the crowd already, so I was looking forward to hearing them. Fronted by charismatic, and endlessly energetic, Theresa Vendetta, Jawless are a London-based thrashcore/hardcore punk band. Theresa never stops moving as she growls, shouts and kicks her way across the stage, with Police Bastard proving to be a popular song amongst everyone.
The last band I saw tonight was Split Dogs, and what a way to end the day. Harry is another standout frontwoman, full of energy and with a voice powerful enough to punch you in the face. Their raw, rock-n-roll punk gets everyone moving, especially when they play their recent single And What. Another band that really need to be seen live to appreciate just how great they really are.
Day Three and Day Four to follow soon!